Machines



BEST AVAILABLE COP;

May 15, 1923.

T. F. UHLEMANN TENSION DEVICE FOR MOVING PICTURE MACHINES Filed July 2, 1920 BEST AVAILABLE COP,

Patented May 15, 1923.

' UNIT-ED sTATEs POWER COMPANY, INC., .OF NEW YORK,

PATENTDFFICE;

THEODORE E. UHLEMA NN, or GLEN Mortars, NEW YORK, AssrGNoE 'roNIoHoLAs N. Y., AECORPORA TIQQN OF DELAWARE-f1 TENSION DEVICE Eon movrNe-rrcrnan 1 I Application filed July 2,

vices for Moving-Picture Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

sprocket an This invention relates ,to aperture gates for motion picture machines and has for its object to provide 'a gate adapted to support the'tensionfshoes for thevfilmat the aperture and'also the film-holding roller for-the intermittent sprocket to thereby facilitate the rapid threadin'g of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gate of this character in which the action of the sprocket roller is controlled by the movement of the gate in such manner that the sprocket roller is released from the sprocket beforethe gate can be openedand islclosed against the sprocket only after the 'gate is fully shut, by which arrangement the film is threaded on to the intermittent sprocket by merely closing the gate against the film. To this end the tension shoes carried by the ate extend to a point near the d serve to properly position the film sov that when the sprocket roller ls lfeleased the perforated margins are pressed against the sprocket teeth to be'caught by the teeth when the movement of the sprocket begins.

A further object'of the invention is to pro vide a novel latching device for the gate arranged to engage and lock automatically when the gate is closed, the lock being designed to afford much more positive fastening of the gate than can be had with the ordinary bevel-edge spring bolt usually employed in self-engaging locks.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a preferred arrangement of my improved tension device and also certain modifications which will be hereinafter described.

In the said drawings, I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a moving picture machine showing my improved gate 1920; Serial No. 393,604. .f'fff approximately midway 'of irnprov'e'd s ai' Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views 'sho'wing the use ofa film-holding shoe insteadota roller:

for the sprocket.

Referring to the drawings, particularly F gs. 1 and 2, 1 indicates the'frameof the machine, which frame comprises a vertical web on which the three film-feeding sprock -j ets'are supported in the usual manner. The intermittent sprocket 2 is positioned'immediately below the position ofthe'ray chute l3 with the periphery of the sprocket lyingiiithe plane of the film-guiding surface ofth'e aperture plate 4 fixed to the rear .end or the ray chute. i (3 ii Hinged to the fra'me'ina position to close lower edge of the gate extending below the aperture plate and to the"rear' of ,the sprocket. with an aperture corresponding to the one in the plate to permit the passage o flight; to the film and on each side ofthe' aperture it is provided with film-guidingshoes 6' supported by cross bars above and below the aperture and designed to engage the mar gins of the film to hold the'film taut at the aperture. i i l;

Each shoe 6 is provided at its middle point with a tongue 7 Y which projects through a hole in the gate in position to beengaged by the presser spring 8 which 'is attached to the back of the gate, the tongue being provided with a flange, at its end to prevent the accidental displacement of the shoes whenthe gate is open. 7 I

Each spring 8 consists of a single spring bow with its convex side turned toward the gate arranged to pressat its middle point against the end of the tongue 7 as shown in Fig. 1. The springs are supported so that they may be quickly withdrawn and a new one replaced in case'of breakage. To this end the lower ends of the springs are supported in square sockets 10 formed in a bracket 9 attached to the back of the gate near the lower edge. The upper ends of the springs are free but extend underdownwardly projecting ears 11 on the lower edge The gate is of course provided- '70 against the aperture plate is a gate'5 the of the rocking spring adjusting member 12 lower edge on a transverse pivot pin 13 extending across the back of the gate between edge flanges 11*, the ears 11 of the block being recessed to receive the free ends of the springs. By this arrangement the reaction of the springs tends to turn the block on its pivot, forcing the upper edge of the block toward the gate and against an adjusting screw 14 which is threaded through the flange of the gate. The end of the block adjacent the adjusting screw is beveled 01f on its inner face as shown so that the end of the screw comes against :the inclined time of the block whereby the transverse adjustment otthe screw will tendto turn the block on-its pivot to thereby regulate the tension of the springs 8.

A frame 15 is pivoted to the lower end of the gate for supporting the sprOcket-engag ing roller 16. in position to engage the sprocket at 'a point elow its axis to thereby maintain the desired number of holes in engagement with 'the teeth .of the sprocket. The frame 15 is pivoted to the gateand con1- prises a pair of downwardly extending arms supporting the pivots of the roller, th e pivots of the frame preferably consisting of screws set in the frame with their pointed ends in sockets formed in the ears at-the edges of the gate whereby the frame may be readily detached for replacement. One of -the side arms of the framefis extendedupwardly beyond its pivot and at apohitabove the pivot is engaged by a spring 17 seen; a socket ,on the gate to thereby. turnthe frame on its pivot to force the roller toward the sp'rocket. The ,movement o1" the roller toward the sprocket is limited by a stop-screw 18 set in the back 'otthe gate in :1 lug overlying the arm whereby ,the movement of the frame may be adjusted so that the grooves in the ends of the roller 16 will hold thejfiim on the teeth of the sprocket but not apply any undue pressure to the film.

To hold the gate in closed position I provide a latch 19 consisting of a bar'supported for vertical movement along the edge of the gate by me'ans'of screws 20 woriking'in slots in the bar. The upper end of the bar s turned out to provide a thumb-piece to facilitate the lifting of the bar and projecting from the edge of the bar is a book 21 designed when the gate is closed to engage over a pin 22 set in the edge of the aperture plate. The lower end of the latch 19 is shaped to provide a deep 11001:23 open to the rear of the gate to receive a pin 24in'tl1e end of the long side arm of the frame 15. The point of the hook is beveled as shown to provide a cam surface for engaging the pin when the latch is raised, to thereby turn the frame 15 011 its pivots and withdraw the roller from the engagement with the s )rocket before the latch clears the pin 22. y this arrangement the roller is fully withdrawn from the BEST AVAILABLE COP;

sprocket before the gate can be opened and the gate must be closed against againstthe film before the roller can be released, thereby avoiding all possible danger of tearing the film on the sprocket teeth.

The latch bar 19 is normally held in elevated position when the gate is opened only by the pressure of the pin 24; against the side of the hook 23 under the tension of the spring 17, the latch bar being otherwise freely slidable on its guide screws so as to drop by gravity to its lowermost position when the pressure of the-pin; against the hookis relieved. This construction is previded in order that the operator may shut and latch the gate with "one hand to therehy leave n h n f ee t hold. e lm place when the gateis shut. The operator frees the latch bar by simply engaging the gate, when he closes it, along the arm of the {f 15. The tension of the spring 1'? is, such that whenthe g te l sed a-gainstit e film he s d sh s w ll e P ac d un r-tensien-aad the hook of the latch will beadvaneed y n he -p n 22 be re th Pin Zmheses the hook'23 and allows the latch bar-to r p- The gat will hus'al ays be a ehsd if the operator takes hold of the arm when lo ng th {g In addition to facilitating therapid correctth geading of the machinelthe attache ment of the sprocket roller to gate pert-.- mit's the guides toiextendalmostte P iphe y f t spr clr tflhere y g atly 's mth tenden y o' th fi m te hua le between the sprocket and 'theaperture when the machine is run at high. speedand .With': out undue pressui'eapplied .-to the ide shoes. My improved latch hasthg 'a "V841- 's of w y ldinsth s e lose to t e same p s t n, du t th'e a su ce or e hook which engages the pin. In ordinary spring latches"having b'o'lts with beveled ends which are forced back by the engage.- ment of the bolt with its socket. the unai'oidr able wear of the parts produces an i 'nd'esirable lost motion in the gate, q'iartieularly if the spring bolt is strong enough to. insu i;c positive latching. I

Instead of using a 'roller for holding the film againstthe sproeket l may employ a shoe 30 such as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the shoe being preferred bYSOIIlC O orator-stop the reason that it holds the film in engagement with a greater number of the sprocket teeth. The shoe maybe fixed in the frame 15 but is preferably loosely pivoted in the fauna by the bayonet joint'32'to permit the shoe to adjust itself to the sprocket under the pressure of a spring My improved tension mechanism is .particularly applicable to machines in which the framing is accomplished without movement of either the lower sprocket or the aperture plate, and is also applicable to the style BEST AVAILABLE COP;

of ,framin described in my co-pending. ap-

plication, erial No.--386,143 filed June 3,

1920, in which the sprocket is adjusted relatively to the aperture, plate but with the gate-and film plate adjustable with the.

sprocket, and I have disclosedmyimproved tension device in that application.

I claim:

1. In a tension machines the combinations of j an aperture plate having a film-guiding surface, a cooperating member mounted for movement toward and from said surface, tension shoes carried by said member engaging the film at the aperture, an intermittent sprocket adjacent said aperture plate for advancing the film through the machine, a guide for holding the film in contact with the sprocket, said guide being supported on said cooperating member, and means for holding said guide out of engagement with the sprocket until said gate is moved into closed position and subsequently causing it to engage the sprocket.

2. In a tension device for moving picture machines, the combination of an aperture plate having a film guiding surface, a cooperating member mounted for movement toward and from said surface, tension shoes carried by said member engaging the film at the aperture, an intermittent sprocket adjacent said aperture plate for advancing the film through the machine, a guide for bold ing the film in contact with the sprocket, said guide being supported on said cooperating member and mounted for movement independent of said member, and means for causing the movement of said guide into engagement with said sprocket after the film has been engaged by the tension shoes.

3. In a moving picture machine, the combination of an aperture plate, a gate for maintaining the film in contact with the aperture plate, a latch for said gate, an in termittent sprocket adjacent the a erture plate, a film guide for maintaining e film in contact with the sprocket, said guide being mounted on said gate for movement toward and from the sprocket independent of the movement of the gate, and connections between said latch and said ide for controlling the movement of t e guide from the latch.

4. In a moving picture machine, the combination of an aperture. plate, a gate for maintaining the film in contact with the aperture plate, a latch for said gate, an intermittent sprocket adjacent the aperture plate. a film guide for maintaining the film in contact with the sprocket, said guide be ing mounted on said gate for movement toward and from the sprocket independent of the movement of the gate, and means controlled by the movement of the latch for causing said guide to engage the film on the device for moving picture sprocket when the latch moves into the latching, position and .to withdrawsaid guide from. the sprocket when the, latch is moved to-open position. x

3 5, ln aimovingpictu-re machine, the corn bination'of an aperture plate, a gate having means for holding thefilm in contact with the'aperture, arlatch .for said gate comprising a locking-member movable intov locking position onlyaafter. the closing,.movement of the gate is completed, means for holding said locking member in unlocked posit-ion when the gate is open, said means being designed to cause the release of the said lock ing member when the gate is stopped upon engaging the aperture plate in its closing movement.

6. In a moving picture machine, the combination of an aperture plate, a gate for maintaining the film in engagement with said plate, a latch for said gate, an intermittent sprocket for advancing the film past the aperture, a film guide for the sprocket supported on said gate for movement independent thereof, and operative connections between said gate, said film guide and said latch and means for simultaneously holding said latch and guide-in open position, comprising interengaging portions provided on said members, said holding means being releasable to effect closing of the latch and shifting of the guide into engagement with the film at the completion of the closing movement of the gate.

7. In a moving picture machine, the combination of a film ate, tension shoes carried by said gate, a late for said gate consisting of a latch bar mounted for free movement having a hook which assumes locking position on the movement of said bar, a sprocket adjacent said gate, a film guide for said sprocket pivoted on said gate for independent movement toward and from the sprocket, a spring for holding said guide normally pressed toward the sprocket, and cooperating portions provided on said guide and said latch bar maintained in inter-engaged position by said spring for simultaneously holding said parts in inoperative relation, said latch being released by pressure on said guide when the gate reaches its closed position.

8. A tension device for moving picture machines comprising tension shoes for engaging the film'on each side of the aperture, an adjustable support for said shoes, said shoes being loosely mounted in said support for free movement toward and from the film, springs for said shoes comprising spring metal bows attached to said support at one end and engaging said shoes at their middle portion, and means for adjusting the pressure of said shoes comprising a member overlying the free ends of said springs and adjustable toward and from the support.

90A tension device for moving picture machines comprising tension shoes for engaging the film on each side of the aperture, an adjustable support for said shoes, said '5 shoes being loosely mounted in said support for free movement toward and from the film, springs for said shoes comprising spring metal bows attached to said support at one end and engaging said shoes at their 1 middle'portion, and means for adjusting the BEST AVAILABLE cor pressure of said shoes comprising a member pivoted to sald support at one side of said member and engaging the free ends of said springs and an adjusting screw for turning said member on its pivot against the pressure of said springs.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this 2nd day of June, 1920.

THEODORE F. UHLEMANN, 

